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sunshine from the south are where the design starts. The Wilson natural home isoriented to true north/south. This was accomplished during site visits long beforeconstruction began. A GPS was used to determi ne this location information asprecisely as possible. Once the solar orientation was determined the house wasstaked out facing due south.To retain the benefits of the trees to the north of the house that block the coldnorth winds, the laneway through these trees follows a long curve to prevent thewind (and dust) from blowing directly through to the house. The house was thentucked in to the trees on the north while leaving the south exposed. The site alsoslopes gently to the south leavin g plenty of solar exposure on the south side. Theeast and west sides are buffered with more trees, since the winds from the northwestcan be fierce during the winter months. These simple orientation concepts providesignificant long-term savings on heating and cooling. In the summer the cool breezeis pulled in through the trees on the north maintaining a cool pleasant temperaturein the home. In the winter the trees block the coldest winds from hitting the homedirectly. The temperature difference is optimized for cooling in the summer andwarmth in the winter. In fact, the temperature south of the trees where the home islocated can be more than several degrees warmer in the winter and can seem muchwarmer as the wind is so much milder in this area compared to the north side of thetrees.The next layer of protection for the home is the straw bale wall on the north side.This wall provides excellent insulation (R50-R60). Straw bale is a renewable buildingmaterial that come s from local farmers. The bales are used like bricks to build thewalls. Then a chicken wire mesh is stapled to both sides and sewn togethercompressing the bales. The final treatment is several layers of stucco on each side ofthe wall. Straw bale walls have the added benefit of being breathing walls. Thismeans that some level of air transmission occurs, while maintaining the high level ofinsulation. There is no vapor barrier, unlike almost all modern Canadian homes.This ability to breathe eliminates th e need for a mechanical heat recovery ventilatorand vapor barrier, while providing better indoor air quality without any additionalenergy costs.The tour continued at the south side of the home. Here the concepts of passivesolar design were explained. Essentially this passive solar concept is the primaryheating system for the Wilson home. Windows on the south side of the home allowlight into the home especially in the winter when the sun is low in the sky. Inside thehouse, thick concrete floors absorb the heat so that it can slowly dissipate over night257